FA+
Shop
The Rune Empire
13 years ago
Simply put, the Rune Empire is equivalent to a magically powered Rome in it's heyday. The capital city, Solium, is roughly the size of our New York and nearly as advanced. Magically powered buses and rail cars ferry citizens around this great city daily. Multilevel apartments reach up into the sky and down underground. Streets are straight and well-maintained.
Even the next most advanced city, the Akinan Moonlit City, is only a pale shadow in comparison. The Rune Empire, as a society, is quickly outstripping the rest of the world. Unfortunately that seems to be giving the Emperor ideas. He talks of bringing the 'Glory of the Empire' to the rest of the world and letting them share in the bounty that is Solium. He wants to share their ideas and technology with the 'less fortunate lands'.
Sounds great though, right? Why fight against the man offering candy and awesome, shiny toys?
Well, for starters, there is a huge difference between the lower and middle classes in the Rune Empire. The Middle class consists of those with technological or magical skills as well as lower end merchants. They live in nice apartments above ground and get paid a healthy wage for their daily work using their talents. They don't live like kings by any means, but they have enough money to eat out several times a week and enjoy the various entertainments on a regular basis.
The lower class isn't nearly so lucky. Consisting of anyone not gifted with magical skills or technological talents, these people live in squalor on the underground levels. Some find jobs as personal servants or helpers, but all too many have found the commonly lower-end jobs filled with Golems. So a large part of the population is jobless and lives off the scraps from above ground. They are forced to either join the military or scavenge in an attempt to survive.
So the Emperor gets a cheaply paid, huge army at his disposal and it doesn't cost him any of his more talented workers. Sure, their losses are huge when faced against the Akian magical army or the Sketh's highly trained troops, but there are always more peasants. Just offer them a extra 2 gold bonus for signing up and watch them come running. From the outside, it looks like someone planned things this way, doesn't it?
What's more disturbing about this picture? The fact that no one truly notices this plan... or that it's working so well?
Even the next most advanced city, the Akinan Moonlit City, is only a pale shadow in comparison. The Rune Empire, as a society, is quickly outstripping the rest of the world. Unfortunately that seems to be giving the Emperor ideas. He talks of bringing the 'Glory of the Empire' to the rest of the world and letting them share in the bounty that is Solium. He wants to share their ideas and technology with the 'less fortunate lands'.
Sounds great though, right? Why fight against the man offering candy and awesome, shiny toys?
Well, for starters, there is a huge difference between the lower and middle classes in the Rune Empire. The Middle class consists of those with technological or magical skills as well as lower end merchants. They live in nice apartments above ground and get paid a healthy wage for their daily work using their talents. They don't live like kings by any means, but they have enough money to eat out several times a week and enjoy the various entertainments on a regular basis.
The lower class isn't nearly so lucky. Consisting of anyone not gifted with magical skills or technological talents, these people live in squalor on the underground levels. Some find jobs as personal servants or helpers, but all too many have found the commonly lower-end jobs filled with Golems. So a large part of the population is jobless and lives off the scraps from above ground. They are forced to either join the military or scavenge in an attempt to survive.
So the Emperor gets a cheaply paid, huge army at his disposal and it doesn't cost him any of his more talented workers. Sure, their losses are huge when faced against the Akian magical army or the Sketh's highly trained troops, but there are always more peasants. Just offer them a extra 2 gold bonus for signing up and watch them come running. From the outside, it looks like someone planned things this way, doesn't it?
What's more disturbing about this picture? The fact that no one truly notices this plan... or that it's working so well?
